Godlike Figures Gather at Shrek, Old Mu Takes a Heavy Blow

Mu En's attitude was exceptionally firm. No matter how Yu Haochuan pleaded or promised, he never relented.

Only in the end, perhaps realizing that the matter was already settled, did Yu Haochuan slowly quiet down. He stood there, letting the sunlight filtering through the Golden Tree's dense canopy fall over him.

Just as Qiangu Yunche had said before, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had never abandoned its desire to reclaim the glory of being the continent's third greatest sect ten thousand years ago. Yet the split in the clan's inheritance and the infighting among its factions had made that dream exceptionally unrealistic.

Yu Haochuan knew very well that even Mu En, the Limit Douluo standing before him, had been sent to Shrek Academy by his grandfather because of internal factional struggles.

Otherwise, with Mu En's potential and strength, he would have been the person most likely to unify the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and even lead it beyond its former peak.

After Yu Haochuan left, Mu En slowly opened his dim yellowed eyes.

Time had left indelible marks upon him. As the years passed, his body had long become like a broken clay jar leaking from every side. His severe internal injuries drained his life away every moment, and the two major events that had recently occurred had stirred his once-peaceful heart for the first time in decades. The tangled emotions from earlier had even nearly triggered the old wounds within him.

Mu En looked at the faint red stain on the handkerchief in his hand and gave a bitter laugh. Before another white-haired elder could reach the doorway, he tucked it into his sleeve.

"Teacher, I have arrived." Yan Shaozhe bowed respectfully.

"Enough, Shaozhe. No need for such formality." Mu En waved a hand. "Has Haochuan left?"

"Brother Haochuan just left Sea God Island. But... his expression seemed rather off..."

Yan Shaozhe spoke softly.

There had been far too many major events lately. It was not only Mu En whose state of mind had been disrupted; Yan Shaozhe, as the head of Shrek Academy, had also been plagued by worries almost without pause.

"Leave him alone. He will be fine once he thinks things through himself." Mu En sighed softly, then asked, "How is Xuanzi doing?"

Yan Shaozhe pursed his lips before choosing his words carefully.

"Elder Xuan... has kept himself shut in his room ever since returning. Even the wine and meat he never went without have been untouched for several days. I went to see him. The blow he suffered was immense, and something has gone wrong with his state of mind. It also seems that he wants to resign from his post and leave the academy."

"Ridiculous!" Mu En slapped the armrest of his reclining chair. The force was not great, yet it still made Yan Shaozhe jump.

It had been many years since he had seen Mu En display such intense emotional fluctuations.

"His dereliction of duty is an established fact. At a time like this, instead of thinking about changing himself, he only wants to run away. He is over two hundred years old already—how can he still fail to understand the meaning of responsibility and accountability?"

"Shaozhe, go tell him later that this old bag of bones does not have many years left to live. When that time comes, Shrek Academy will need a powerful enough helmsman. If he wants to watch the academy drift with the current until it declines, then he can get lost! But tell him this: no matter what, I will properly teach him a lesson on behalf of my late senior brother."

A trace of worry flickered in Yan Shaozhe's eyes. He wanted to say something, but could not bring himself to speak.

"By the way, how are Lexuan and the eleven Inner Court students?"

Only when Mu En spoke again did Yan Shaozhe hurriedly reply.

"After Elder Zhuang treated them, their conditions have all stabilized. However, eight of them, including Lexuan and Gufan, were injured far too severely. On top of that, they all took Blood Burning Pills. It is nearly impossible for them to recover anytime soon."

Hearing that, Mu En let out another heavy sigh.

He closed his eyes wearily, then said,

"This accident was a grave failure in the academy's teaching. I can foresee that many of them will lose their trust in and sense of belonging to the academy because of it. The compensation the academy should provide them afterward cannot be lacking. And if any of them wish to leave the academy, you need not stop or persuade them. Do you understand?"

Though Yan Shaozhe was unwilling, he still nodded on the surface.

Inner Court students were already extremely scarce, with their total number rarely exceeding fifty. Of the twelve-person soul-hunting team this time, aside from Zhang Lexuan, seven were outstanding talents in their respective fields!

If they were allowed to leave the academy, it would undoubtedly be an immense loss. It might even seriously damage the academy's reputation.

Thus, Yan Shaozhe did not want to let them leave Shrek Academy so easily.

However, Yan Shaozhe knew he could not say such things openly to Mu En now, so he brought up another matter instead.

"Teacher, Elder Xuan also mentioned that the ones who saved Lexuan and the others were a young Title Douluo with two hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings and his son and daughter. Moreover, that hundred-thousand-year Dragon Demon Wa-Woman that attacked Lexuan and the others seems to have become the seventh Soul Ring of that Title Douluo's daughter."

After a pause, Yan Shaozhe added,

"Lexuan said that the Title Douluo could not be more than a little over forty years old, while his daughter was about the same age as Lexuan. As for that young man... according to Lexuan, he possessed an extraordinarily powerful domain-type ability and effortlessly broke the Dragon Demon Wa-Woman's Blood Sea Soul Skill."

Mu En was slightly startled, then smiled softly.

"It seems that beyond what we know, the continent still has many hidden masters."

"Shaozhe, what are their Martial Souls?"

Yan Shaozhe's expression became somewhat strange, but he still said, "Elder Xuan and Lexuan said that their Martial Souls closely resembled the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Souls possessed by the two Spirit Hall worshippers, Qian Jun and Jiang Mo, ten thousand years ago. Their quality was extremely high, and their offensive power astonishing."

Mu En nodded and said nothing more.

Yan Shaozhe stood quietly to one side. Unlike Mu En's calmness, countless complicated thoughts filled his mind. It was precisely because of the limitations of his character and vision that, despite possessing the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul, one not the slightest bit inferior to the Bright Holy Dragon, he had remained stuck at rank ninety-five even after passing ninety years of age, unable to advance further.

Otherwise, with his talent and potential, his cultivation at this age should at least have caught up to Elder Lin of Sea God Pavilion, or even Xuanzi, the Taotie Douluo.

After the room had remained silent for a long while, Mu En looked at Yan Shaozhe, who was still standing where he was, and suddenly spoke.

"Shaozhe, tell me. Are you thinking that if those three had not appeared, that hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone would both have gone to Lexuan?"

Yan Shaozhe was suddenly startled. The shame of having his dark thoughts exposed left him at a loss, but under Mu En's gaze, he still nodded stiffly.

"Teacher, I was only thinking that Elder Xuan had already been on his way there. If Lexuan and the others could have held on a little longer, then the outcome..."

"Then the outcome would have been that none of the twelve, Lexuan included, would have returned." Deep fatigue and disappointment showed in Mu En's eyes. That gaze filled Yan Shaozhe with immense shame. Just as he was about to explain, Mu En waved a hand to cut him off.

"Shaozhe, I told you long ago that the reason you have struggled to advance all these years is not merely because you were obsessed with romantic entanglements in your youth. It is also because of your character and vision."

"I had thought you merely liked scheming and were somewhat narrow-minded. But who could have imagined that you would now give birth to such thoughts?"

"Shaozhe, you have disappointed me greatly."

With that, Mu En closed his eyes wearily and no longer looked at Yan Shaozhe.

"Go. Some things may be thought about, but for other things, the very birth of such a thought is a sin and a fall from grace. Go back and reflect on yourself properly."

Yan Shaozhe looked ashamed. In the end, he rose and left Mu En's room.

Only after he could no longer hear Yan Shaozhe's footsteps did Mu En open his eyes. Xuanzi's dejection, the students' loss of heart, the clan's muddleheadedness, and his disciple's narrowness flashed through his mind. Each and every matter battered the last remnants of his spirit.

An unprecedented weariness filled Mu En's eyes.

He did not dare imagine what would become of the academy and the clan after he passed away. Somewhere deep within, he had an indescribable intuition: if all this were allowed to continue, the consequences would be beyond their ability to bear.

But what could he possibly do now?

After a long while, a breeze drifted past, and the reclining chair swayed gently. Yet Mu En's figure had long since vanished...